JPMorgan Chase Donates $1.5 Million to Detroit Community Hub Project

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder was in attendance on Monday as the Detroit Public Schools (DPS) announced that three of its schools will be the beneficiaries of a $1.5 million grant by JPMorgan Chase. The grant will be given specifically to the nonprofit organization Southwest Solutions, to be used for different projects aimed at jump-starting the "community hubs" initiative that the DPS launched earlier this month, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The initiative looks to use existing Detroit public schools as the foundation to rebuild the city as a set of communities. As such, the new grants will be used in conjunction with the state Department of Human Services' Pathways to Potential programs to provide "success coaches" in the three schools, so as to give families better access to both state and federal resources.

Here is some of the key information that emerged from the grant announcement by DPS on Monday.

* The three schools that have been chosen to benefit from the grant money are: Western International High School, Harms Elementary, and Maybury Elementary.

* Under the DPS' five-year plan, schools will offer in-house social services. Some eventually will do so for as many as 12 hours a day.

* John Van Camp, who is the president of Southwest Solutions, spoke of his organization's enthusiasm for the community hub projects, telling the Detroit Free Press that the agency is "so pleased to be a part of that movement."

* According to a report by MLive, the grant money is slated for use in providing foreclosure protection, job training programs, and financial literacy programs, among other services.

* The DPS' five-year plan is expected to be funded largely through partnerships with community groups and private interests such as Southwest Solutions, rather than through the school district itself.

* The emergency financial manager in charge of the Detroit Public Schools, Roy Roberts, told MLive on Monday that he and other officials have identified up to 30 additional schools that could function as community hubs, providing educational opportunities for Detroit children as well as social services for their families.

* For his part, Snyder expressed his enthusiasm for the project as well, telling MLive that he was "excited to see the private sector diving into projects like this."

* State Department of Human Services Director Maura Corrigan was also on hand for Monday's announcement. During her remarks she referred to the community hub program as"the model we need to reinvent Michigan," as quoted by the Detroit News.

Vanessa Evans is a musician and freelance writer based in Michigan, with a lifelong interest in politics and public issues.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jpmorgan-chase-donates-1-5-million-detroit-community-203700964.html

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